Interlude: JFK International Airport, 3:00 PM Eastern Standard Time

"I don't like this, Rachel--" Irene says, dressed in a black jumpsuit. Rachend l is dressed in a similar fashion. They are both pressing their backs to the wall on the outside of a radar tower. So far, Rachel's telepathic illusion has kept them safe from security.

"Use your mind, we can't blow our cover," Rachel barks telepathically.

"We'll never get away with this. What if the CIA traces it back and finds out we posed as pilots on a flight to DC?"

"They won't. The plan is you give them the original biography while I telepathically influence intense feelings of skepticism within that Agent Raymond person you spoke with."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?"

"Not if they have a lack of imagination. Think about it, all the time-travel and outragous battles? Those things are not common for a 21st century human being to comprehend, let alone think about. If there are any doubts, I'll telepathically push them towards what I want them to think."

"Which is?"

"The biography is merely a novel. Fiction."

Rachel grabs Irene's shoulder, signaling for her to remain still. A small charter jet pulls up about 70 yards away. The luggage cart swings by, its tires screeching as it stops towards the back of the jet. The operator opens the compartment in the tail and begins to load the various suitcases.

As the pilots leave the jet to catch a breather, Rachel concentrates on their minds, activating a sedative chemical in their brains.

One of the pilots yawns, "Man, talk about jet-lag. Coffee?"

"Caffeine sounds good, let's go," the copilot echoes.

Just as the pilots are about to go, Rachel appears in front of them, her eyes glowing. To the pilots, she is wearing a uniform. "I'll handle this one, gents." She holds out an illusion of her pilot certification.

"But, this is our flight," the pilot says.

Rachel focuses her telepathy further. "No. It's ours, remember?" Rachel waves Irene over with her hand. She nervously steps out of the shadows. Rachel flinches as she creates an illusion of a uniform for Irene.

The pilots' eyes glaze over, causing them to temporarily lose their grip on reality. That's the telepathic persuasion setting in and Rachel knows it. The pilots scratch their heads, "I was wondering why we felt so tired...maybe that was our last trip."

"Yeah," the other pilot agrees. "We were on a roll, I guess."

Rachel smiles, "If you guys want, you can take it."

The pilots laugh, "No, that's alright, we're done for the night." They tip their hats to the two ladies and walk towards a stairway leading to the inside of the airport.

"Good night," Rachel calls out to them. She turns to Irene and smiles, "See?"

"Alright," Irene says reluctantly. "I feel kind of guilty. I mean, we're only doing this because Jameson only gave me one round trip to DC. I wasn't expecting having to turn in my biography of Cable to the Pentagon."

"Well, we're not stealing the plane. We're just borrowing it," Rachel says with a smile.

"Umm," Irene says as she sees a bunch of passengers beginning to empty out of a shuttle bus.

"Don't worry," Rachel whispers. "We'll just take them with. No problem."

Irene keeps her eyes on the line of people, "Okay, what about the peanut ladies?"

Rachel perks her head up and spots the two flight attendants. "What about them?"

"They're going to know we're not really pilots!" Irene almost yells.

"Don't worry, the Summers family flies planes out of the womb. All you have to do is sit there, that's all the copilot does anyway."

The flight attendants are the first to meet with Rachel and Irene. One of them holds out her hand, "Hiya, I'm Candy!"

The other does the same, "I'm Sandy!"

Rachel nods her head, "Hello."

Irene nervously waves, "Yo...I mean...hi."

"Wow," Sandy says, chewing her pink bubble gum, "female pilots...cool!"

"Yeah, it's freakin' amazing," Irene mutters.

The line of people is suddenly behind the flight attendants, impatiently waiting. "Um, are we supposed to let them go in first, or something?" Irene asks in her mind.

"How the hell should I know?" Rachel responds.

"Oh God..."

Rachel relents and runs up the stairway to the plane, taking two steps at a time. She notices the shocked faces of the passengers, "Sorry, we're a little behind schedule. Let's go to the Capitol, shall we?"

Irene breathes a sigh of relief as she walks up towards the jet's hatch...

China, 12:40 AM

The battle has been going on for a few seconds, and Cable is already in over his head. Mystical threats were not his bag. An evil mystic force of energy, known as the Ahm-Zuin, has taken possession of the failed business man known as Drake Lee. Lee's body was transformed into a large reptilian creature of sorts in the process.

A young woman by the name of Liu Shan was a warrior trained in the ancient art of tao-chi, a form of mystic training which concentrates the full potential of the mind. The said woman was descended from the sorcerers that imprisoned the Ahm-Zuin thousands of years ago and was to battle the entity if it ever escaped again. Unfortunately, Liu was slain, leaving Cable to finish the job.

Liu taught Cable a little bit of tao-chi, but even he cannot replicate years of experience in the mystic arts.

As the Ahm-Zuin's scaly stump comes in for strike, Cable dodges it, placing one foot on the arm, pinning it to the ground. Cable then shifts his body weight and delivers a kick to the creature's jaw with his other foot. The monster simply smiles, licking the sides of his mouth.

"Was that supposed to hurt? Shall I look hurt for you?" the Ahm-Zuin cackles.

Wait a minute, Cable thinks to himself, I sense thought patterns in there...human thought patterns! This thing is possessing someone like some kind of demon!

Before Cable knows it, the creature gives him a stiff elbow, opening a cut in his bottom lip. Nathan stumbles backward, dropping the mystic sword. Cable's hand rushes to his left side as the techno-organic virus nudges his vital organs, causing a nerve overload of pain.

The creature laughs, "I didn't even hit you that hard, I must be better than I thought..."

Come on, you goddamn Fifth Force...pump me up, here! Cable calms himself. Alright, what did Jean always say? Concentrate your power, gradually applying bursts of TK...or you'll make your head explode...okay...I'm concentrating...ugh, stupid virus!

Cable shifts his techno-organic hand into a blade and begins to slice away at the hide of the creature, diving onto the ground and skillfully picking up the sword. With the monster disoriented, Cable jabs the sword into its back.

"AARGGHHH!!!" it shouts.

Cable notices the sword is causing the monster's flesh to sizzle. He presses his boot on the monster and grabs the sword out of it, making a sickening squishing sound. Nathan skillfully twirls the sword in his hand.

"You know what they say," Cable begins. "Find a way that works...and stick with it."

The Ahm-Zuin gives Cable an annoyed look. "Quit the banter, mortal..."

Cable smirks, "You don't like this sword or banter? Hm, this is real fun now!"

The creature growls, muttering a few words, then blasting Cable with a green mist. Cable seems to be unaffected, coughing slightly.

"What the hell are you trying to do? Make me die of bad smell?"

"No..."

Cable notices his techno-organic parts are turning into snakes -- and vipers at that.

"Oath...I'm beginning to hate this mystic shit!"

Interlude 2: Washington, DC, 4:30 PM EST

"Thank you. Thanks. Ha, bye! Bye, now! Y'all come see us again! Buh-bye--"

Irene watches as Candy thanks the passengers from the cockpit. Rachel is busy fiddling with the electronic equipment of the jet. "Wow. They're so perky."

"Push-up bras, I'm guessing," Rachel says, without really paying attention.

Irene cocks an eyebrow, "No, I meant their personalities."

Rachel continues to press a myriad of buttons, "Yep, they're four and three this season."

"Rachel!"

"What?" She looks at Irene.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm trying to turn this thing off."

"I thought you knew everything there was to know about planes?"

"I know how to fly and land them. I must have slept during that portion of the lesson where we learned how to turn them off." Rachel presses another button, turning on a very loud country music song. "Damn."

"Dixie Chicks! Alright!" Irene says with a smile, gyrating in her seat and singing along.

Candy and Sandy peer into the cockpit with surprised looks on their faces. "Um...are you gals alright?" they ask.

Rachel and Irene jolt their heads towards the two flight attendants, doing their best impression of a female version of Laurel and Hardy.

Rachel smiles, "I...uh...we're fine. We're fine now, tell them, Irene."

Irene laughs nervously, "What?!"

Out of nowhere, Candy and Sandy slump over on the floor. Rachel gets out of her seat and drags Candy into a first class seat. Irene follows suit and drags Sandy into a seat.

"I had to knock them out with a psi-bolt, they were getting too close," Rachel explains.

Irene forcibly sits Rachel in the pilot's seat, "Look, I'm a little sick of this telepathic superiority thing you've got going on! Just stop it!"

Rachel glares at Irene, "Sorry." She sighs, "Guess I didn't see it from your perspective. It's almost second nature to me to use my mind before I use my body for anything."

"That's what scares me..."

"Irene, you're not saying--?"

"Well, after seeing what Nathan is capable of doing, I'm a little weary of psi-talents. You're his equal, if he didn't have the Fifth Force power thing. All of you are the same, always using your powers for some kind of gain..."

"Irene, I'm much older than I look. I've honed my abilities for almost a century. The Askani do not use their power for any kind of gain, I can assure you."

Irene nods, "Maybe the Askani philosophy needs to be taught here in this era...maybe that way I, and many others, can feel ensured that their minds will not become just another puppet."

After a brief silence, Rachel and Irene exit the charter jet, intent on infiltrating the Pentagon and keeping Cable's reputation clean for the time being...

"Help me!" Cable shouts, swinging his left arm around, as if trying to shake the snakes off, but it wasn't happening. The hissing and snapping of jaws continues.

The Ahm-Zuin laughs, "You cannot counter magic, mortal. Surrender."

The serpents taunt Cable by showing off their venomous fangs. A syrupy yellow fluid is discharged from one snake, into Cable's eyes. "ARGH!" he screams. The burning is excruciating. Cable tries to open his eyes, but a stinging sensation, then the advent of tears, prevents him. Even his techno-organic eye is affected by the venom.

Cable kneels on the ground, feeling the sharp rocks digging into his knee cap. He can't see. He waves his right arm in front of him, still careful of his arm of vipers. "Stop this...I can't...I can't..."

Suddenly, roots unearth themselves and form a sturdy restraint around Cable. His left arm returns to normal -- if you call techno-organic normal. The stinging in his eyes remains, however. Cable can smell the musty scent of the Ahm-Zuin's breath.

"You will watch me end your world...and all I need is one soul. You will do. You will end the world. How does that sound?"

Cable remains silent, trying to snap the roots binding him -- which have now turned to stone.

What did A鵬go say? The multiverse is intertwined--? And the Fifth Dimension is above all states of physical and mental being...?

The Ahm-Zuin creature stands in front of Cable, raising its hands to the sky. His eyes glow an eerie green. "Gu ahan juk wrut opak gotuh mala--"

Cable ignores the apocalyptic spell's words and continues his concentration on breaking free. Suddenly, the Earth begins to shake violently.

"--tuap rumgha fuy jadh ugew--"

With every utterance, the shaking becomes stronger. Cable reaches down deep, his astral form exploding from his body and diving into the monster's mind. The psionic shielding is strong, but Cable keeps pushing. Mystical barriers are met, and broken down.

Cable is in the middle of the chaos. He sees an Asian man naked and shivering in the surreal plane of the mind. "Are you alright?" Cable asks.

The man looks up at the Askani'Son. "Y-you? You're that Cable person...or whatever..."

"Who are you?"

"Drake Lee."

"The cybernetic part maker?"

"Well, I was...I had to come back here to China after I lost everything I had. I read that this Ahm-Zuin could give me power--"

Cable punches the man in the gut. It was just his astral form, but it still hurt because Cable intended it to. "You fucking idiot, you've unleashed Hell! No one can control the Ahm-Zuin!! It controls you!"

Suddenly, a mist forms between Lee and Cable, forming into a very large shadowy entity. "GET OUT OF HERE!!!" the Ahm-Zuin shouts as he blasts Cable with a shove of magic.

Before Cable falls, he is smacked in the head from behind. The Ahm-Zuin moves at incredible speeds. Cable's head is pounding, but at least he's distracting the Ahm-Zuin from destroying Earth.

Cable concentrates, forming a suit of psionic armor around him. He tackles the living shadow to the ground, his eyes glowing with pure white light. "TAKE ME!!!" Cable shouts. "TAKE MY BODY!"

The shadow seems to smile, "With that power, I could rule the universe..."

Cable smiles slightly, "Right..."

The Ahm-Zuin wraps itself around Cable's astral form, disappearing from Drake Lee's mind.

In the physical world, Drake Lee awakens in control of his body again. He breathes a sigh of relief, but cringes when he sees the hundreds and hundreds of destroyed androids. "Son of a...," he mutters. His concern shifts to that of Cable, who is still bound by roots of stone. His eyes are wide open and glowing red.

His expressionless face turns into a hideous smile. "THE POWER!!!" the Ahm-Zuin shouts. He yells, generating a powerful force of energy which pulses from every direction. "The spell...only a few more verses...to....recite....what's....happening....?"

Drake is amazed to see that the Ahm-Zuin's host has begun punching himself. "What the hell?"

"The Fifth Dimension is beyond even you, Ahm-Zero...," Cable mutters, strained.

"You cannot....resist my will......"

"Funny, I'm doing that right now!"

Cable feels a rush of energy, as if he were flying at light speeds, but he was simply at rest in reality. His entire body glows like a lantern, emanating white light. Soon, Cable feels no pressure on his left side, signifying his techno-virus was expelled and that he was using the Fifth Force.

"NOOOOOoooooo!!!!!!!" the Ahm-Zuin shouts, being forcibly removed from time and space itself. Cable continues to radiate energy, eventually sweating out the evil entity. He is hovering dozens of feet above the ground. When it is over, his body returns to its solid state, plunging into the Pacific Ocean.

Drake simply sighs, picking up an android head, then tossing it to the side. "What am I going to do now?"

Cable emerges from the ocean, a fury in his eyes. He walks step by step, never taking his eyes off of Drake. Drake's brow rises, "Oh, you're alive!"

Cable walks right up to the man, towering over him at six-feet, eight-inches. Drake cowers in the shadow. Drake attempts to say something else, but Cable grabs him by the muscle just above the collar bone, sticking a techno-organic blade in front of his face. Cable lifts him up to eye-level.

"Ow! Ow...ah!" Drake whimpers. "Please, I've already been dead once! That Deathglare monster killed me and took over my empire!* Please, I'm back and I don't know how...but please!!!"

(* Back in issue #5, I think? -- confused Brad)

Cable's expression doesn't change. The saltwater beads off of his face as if he were a statue. "Looks like you made the wrong choice," Cable growls.

Drake winces in pain, "I...I'm sorry, I'll never do anything bad again, I promise! You can't do this!"

Cable relents, exhaling through his nose. He drops Drake's naked ass on the sharp rocks.

"Ow!" he yelps. He gets up and dusts himself off. "So, you think you can let me slide? Like you said, the Ahm-Zuin was in control, not me."

Cable looks at the corpse of Liu. Her frozen expression still makes her look like she's in pain. Cable unlatches a gun from his belt and pulls the trigger. Lee slumps on the ground, back first. Blood gushes from his intestinal region.

Cable walks up to Drake, who's still struggling to breathe. "Sure, I'll let you slide," Cable says coldly as he presses the barrel on Drake's temple.

*BLAM*

*BLAM*

*BLAM*

Cable wipes the splattered blood off his face. "Get me the fuck out of here, Prosh."

An energy sphere forms around Cable, disappearing moments later...

*ZZZPPP*

Interlude 3: The Pentagon, 6:46 PM

Irene pushes the door to the CIA's headquarters open, stepping out into the brisk air. She yawns, blinking a couple times to get her composure. She sighs as she looks at the construction workers repairing the damaged portion of the building.

"God...," she mutters. Who could ever fly a plane with 200 other people in it into a building?

Suddenly, the ground begins to shake.

"What the--?"

"Shockwave," Rachel says from the sidewalk, standing outside a taxi waiting for Irene. "There was some pretty intense tectonic action in China a couple hours ago, not to mention a high body count." Rachel's eyes became remorseful after that last remark.

Irene rubs her eyes, catching a glimpse of the taxi driver, who's in a stupor of sorts. "Rachel," Irene nags. "Enough with the mind control, please?"

Rachel smirks, "He's not being controlled. He's just like that. I'm actually paying for the cab fare."

"...Oh."

Rachel sticks her head into the taxi, "Take us to the airport, please."

Irene smiles, getting into the cab with Rachel following. The taxi speeds away.

Irene finds herself to ask, "How could the shockwave of an earthquake in China be felt on the other side of the world?"

Rachel rubs her temples. The plan went smoothly, but her telepathy got a workout. She looks out the window of the cab.

"I don't know." She bites her lip. "The only way for that to be felt thousands of miles away is if..."

"If what?"

"An energy pulse of some kind was set off."

"Nuclear weapon?"

"No...something bigger."

Meanwhile, inside the Pentagon, Agent Tracy Raymond gives a full report to her superior.

"It wasn't a real-life biography of Cable that we previously thought," Tracy explains to the man in military fatigues. Tracy's sometime-partner, Jack Paris leans against the wall behind the military man, who's concealed by shadows. He has a manilla folder in his hand.

"What was it, then?" the man asks.

"It was a science-fiction novel."

"A fairy tale? Are you serious?" the general asks.

"Are you doubting what I saw and heard, sir? Check the tapes, it's all there. It was all authentic. I mean, in the biography, Ms. Merryweather talked of time-travel, alien ships, god-like beings from beyond the stars." She laughs slightly, "I mean, do you believe it, sir?"

The man leans back in his chair, rubbing his chin. "Time-travel, huh? I guess not. Do you have a copy of this biography?"

Tracy nods.

"Good, I'd like to read it, myself. For enjoyment, of course. This Merryweather's supposedly a good writer."

"Cable's still out there, somewhere, sir," Jack Paris reminds.

The man rocks back, looking at Agent Paris. "I know, we'll find him soon enough. And when we do, he's getting lethal injection...after a trial, of course, but I wouldn't guarantee anything."

Jack gives the manilla file to the general. The general's brow rises as he opens the folder. "What is this, Agent? A birth certificate? Nathan Summers, huh? Born a couple years ago."

"Look at it, sir," Jack says.

"Mother, Madelyne Pryor-Summers?" the general reads aloud.

"She's locked up in the psych ward," Tracy informs. "She claimed to be Cable's mother. We thought she was kidding--"

"--But it may actually be true," Jack finishes.

"I don't get it," the general says, closing the folder. "You're saying Cable, a mutant terrorist, is only four years old?"

Tracy shakes her head, feeling an intense swelling in her sinuses. "The time-travel in the biography...it's real."

"Then, Cable's from the future?" Jack asks. "What should we do about Merryweather and the sister...what's her name...Rachel?"

"We've never heard anything about the sister, so we'll just keep an eye on her. She's obviously a mutant, but not as dangerous as Cable. As for Merryweather, we've got nothing to fear from her. If she opens her mouth, we'll put a bullet in her head," Tracy says.

"That will be all, Agents. Thank you," the general says. "Cable is our main concern here."

Jack and Tracy appear to object, but begin to leave the office area as they were told. Tracy turns back, "General Haight?"

"Yes?"

"I'll have the biography on your desk in a few minutes."

Haight smiles, "Thank you, dear." As Tracy closes the door behind her, Haight gets out of his chair, shutting the blinds of the window. Finally...I will know your roots, Dayspring. I, the last of the Canaanites, will have my revenge. Everyone you held a place for in your heart will suffer...

Superhuman Psychiatry Ward

*BOOM*

Madelyne Pryor awakes with a start within her cell. She peers through the plate glass that separates her from the rest of the world. The explosion has caused quite a lot of damage. A fog of dust conceals everything. Madelyne cannot see anything. She reaches out with her telepathy and picks up on a powerful presence.

Madelyne gasps, back-peddling and falling into her bed. She hugs her knees tightly to her body. She breathes uncontrollably.

*CRASH*

The glass was punched through as if it were nothing. Madelyne closes her eyes, her heart beating once, each time she hears the sound of large feet stepping towards her. The feet scrunch to a stop in front of her bed. Maddie trembles. She knows who it is.

"What do you want?" she asks shakily, her eyes still closed. "I never did anything to you! Leave me alone!"

"Don't fear me, child," the voice says. "You've been chosen to lead my army."

"I don't want to!"

"You don't have any choice, I'm afraid."

A tear falls down Maddie's face as she is grabbed from her bed and transported away...

Greymalkin II

{{Is something troubling you, Nathan?}} Prosh asks.

Cable sighs, pacing back and forth. He looks at his techno-arm. It seems almost brittle; it definitely felt weaker. "I don't know. Something tells me this wasn't the end. I could feel the Ahm-Zuin inside of me...part of it is still there. It's like an imprint."

{{I do not understand...}}

"I used the Fifth Dimension to expell it from my body...but it's still out there. It's weaker, but not imprisoned. I just don't think I could handle fighting it a second time. It's almost as powerful as the Phoenix Force."

{{If there is anything I have learned from the years of observing you, Nathan, is that you can overcome anything.}}

"I wish..."

Cable grabs his phoenix medallion, which all Askani wear, and sits in the Lotus position. He telekinetically levitates himself so he is upside down.

A violent storm erupts in his mind.

He sees a large clock in the background as the lightning illuminates it.

The numbers on the clock are Roman numerals.

That hands of the clock are pointing to the "XII". It's 12:00.

He hears voices chanting - "Judod uson kaloc fredakh ahla Tyoa..." - the Askani phrase for "Mystery is revealed by time, now they must be gathered..."

With that, the clock explodes.

Cable slumps to the floor as he phases out of his meditation.

{{Nathan? Are you well?}}

Cable twitches on the cold metallic floor of Greymalkin.

Prosh asks again, {{Nathan--}}

"...dunh..."

{{What?}}

"I don't know...it was some kind of vision..."

NEXT ISSUE: It's a surprise!